I love the aesthetics and the unique sound hole design, which is probably the most memorable part of this guitar. Ovation calls it "layered" to avoid using the dreaded laminate buzzword.Ĭonsidering the sub-$300 price tag, I wouldn't fault Ovation for this, but I'd love to see them pull it off since Yamaha manages a solid top in the FS800. While the top is made of Spruce, it's not a solid piece. I especially like it in a recording context, because it seems to sound really nice and "correct" no matter what frequency you're emphasizing. Unplugged, the Applause leans more towards a bright EQ with a crisp finish that emphasizes pick scraping.īut amplified, the onboard three-band EQ actually responds really well to tone shaping and varying settings. If you aren't wanting to spend a ton of money, it gets you the pickup and preamp at a budget-friendly price, so we love this model for beginners and any situation where you want to plug in an acoustic without breaking the bank. Getting any solid parts in a sub-$500 acoustic is great value. It also boasts the same solid Sitka Spruce top that we see on the 214 Taylors. Like the Taylors, you'll get a bit more of a crisp tone response, though the dreadnought Yamaha bodies tend to sound a bit warmer than the Taylor dreadnoughts. There's also a tuner built into the preamp.įrom a tone perspective, these play similar to the Taylor 214s, especially the concert body type. For an acoustic guitar that doesn't break $300, it's a rich feature list and stellar pickup system.
This has the pickup installed and the System 66 preamp with a piezo pickup and three-band EQ. If the preamp and pickup system is what's important to you, make sure you target the FSX800C as opposed to the FS800. Then, you have an acoustic and an acoustic-electric version: First, there are two different body types to choose from: This model from Yamaha has a few different variations to consider. Not unlike other Taylor acoustics, the 214ce is pricey, but well worth the investment if you're looking for a high-end acoustic guitar with a pickup already installed. You just have to guess as to when it needs changed, or wait for it to stop working when plugged in. Note that there's no battery life indicator, which is a little inconvenient. The only thing you'll need to do is change the battery every once in a while. It's a simple preamp, but an easy out-of-the-box acoustic pickup solution. This signal can then be controlled at the preamp stage with the following knobs: This is Taylor's own patented take on the piezo pickup, which uses an under-the-saddle pickup system to absorb the natural vibrations of the guitar (more on piezo pickups later). In the 214 you have a piezo pickup system via the Taylor ES-2 Expression System. When strung back up, the bridge tipped forward as planned, and this new saddle sat perpendicular to the strings and was able to move like a piston above Jorma’s Fishman Acoustic Matrix transducer.I've owned the Taylor 114ce for over five years (at the time of writing this), which is similar to the 214 model. In this photo, you can see the tilt of the new saddle blank in the slot. This tipped the Dremel tool 4° while I cut the new slot.
To create a back-tilted slot, I put a shim under the front edge of my saddle routing jig. When it's strung up, the saddle will sit upright and move in the slot, transferring string vibrations to the pickup underneath. We know the strings are going to pull the saddle 4° forward on this guitar, so we'll compensate by cutting a slot that leans back 4° toward the bridge pins. Now let's deal with that forward-leaning saddle This new slot will have a flat bottom when the guitar's tuned to pitch. With the top arched as if it were strung up, I routed the slot. Here's where the brace jack comes in: I'd recorded the height of the bridgeunder string tension, so now I returned the bridge to that state by lifting it from inside with the jack. To avoid the previous installer's mistake, let's not rout the slot with the top "at rest" again.